1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an x-ray diagnostics installation for dental examinations, and in particular to such an installation for producing panorama tomograms of the jaw of a patient.
2. Related Application
The present application is related to another application entitled "Dental X-Ray Diagnostics Installation For Producing Panorama Slice Exposures of the Jaw of a Patient" (Dr. Joachim Pfeiffer, Werner Guenther, Manfred Muether and Erich Heubeck) filed, simultaneously herewith and having Ser. No. 150,379.
3. Description of the Prior Art
A dental x-ray diagnostics installation is described in German Patent No. 26 46 638, corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,188,537. This installation includes a unit which is rotatable about a vertical axis which has an x-ray source and a secondary diaphragm, with a detector disposed behind the diaphragm, mounted thereon. The carrier is rotated about the head of a patient as the patient is exposed to x-radiation, and the detector generates electrical signals proportional to the intensity of the radiation incident thereon. The electrical signals are supplied to an analog-to-digital converter, with the resulting digital signals being entered and stored in an image memory. A computer uses the stored data to calculate a complete image of the patient's jaw obtained during a full exposure, and the image is visually represented by an image reproduction means.
In the above-described known system, the panorama x-ray exposure can be electronically recorded and stored, instead of being recorded and stored in the conventional manner on x-ray film. This permits the image to be reproduced on a television monitor.